arXiv subjects

Andrei Lascu

Publications and source records attributed to Andrei Lascu.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Picking a CHERI Allocator: Security and Performance Considerations

Several open-source memory allocators have been ported to CHERI, a hardware capability platform. In this paper we examine the security and performance of these allocators when run under CheriBSD on Arm's experimental Morello platform. We introduce a number of security attacks and show that all but one allocator are vulnerable to some of the attacks - including the default CheriBSD allocator. We then show that while some forms of allocator performance are meaningful, comparing the performance of hybrid and pure capability (i.e. 'running in non-CHERI vs. running in CHERI modes') allocators does not appear to be meaningful. Although we do not fully understand the reasons for this, it seems to be at least as much due to factors such as immature compiler toolchains as it is due to the effects of capabilities on hardware.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2016

Integrating a large-scale testing campaign in the CK framework

We consider the problem of conducting large experimental campaigns in programming languages research. Most research efforts require a certain level of bookkeeping of results. This is manageable via quick, on-the-fly infrastructure implementations. However, it becomes a problem for large-scale testing initiatives, especially as the needs of the project evolve along the way. We look at how the Collective Knowledge generalized testing framework can help with such a project and its overall applicability and ease of use. The project in question is an OpenCL compiler testing campaign. We investigate how to use the Collective Knowledge framework to lead the experimental campaign, by providing storage and representation of test cases and their results. We also provide an initial implementation, publicly available.

cs.SE↗